QuestionThe car is making some weird sounds coming from the engine bay( around the drive belt locations).The car has approx. 53000 miles on it and hasn't had a timing belt or serpentine belt serviced yet. I plan on changing out the 3 drive belts(alternator, powersteering, water pump). Any suggestions? Another thing, is it pretty straight forward when replacing the belts and how long should it take?
thanks
AnswerFirst, you'll need to isolate what's making the noise. To see whether it's coming from the belts, take some WD-40 and squirt just a little on each belt. If this makes the noise change, then you know it's coming from the belts. Keep in mind that lubricating the belts will only make the noise go away temporarily, and applying belt dressing typically makes the problem worse.
Replacing the three drive belts is rather straightforward. Depending on your abilities and experience level, it might take you anywhere from 20 minutes to two hours.
Also keep in mind that belt noise isn't an indicator that the belts need to be replaced. In most cases it's nothing more than an annoyance. If a visual inspection shows nothing wrong, you might wish to wait until you reach 60,000 miles and just replace the timing and drive belts all at the same time. Otherwise, you'll need to remove the drive belts again in order to replace the timing belt.
